Iraqi troops in lightning fashion took over government buildings, Kuwaiti officials reported. "Iraq has seized all administrative buildings, including the information ministry that houses the state-run radio and television stations," said one government official.

"The Iraqis have occupied all of Kuwait," the official shouted over the phone in an interview from Bahrain.

The invaders also surrounded the palace of the ruler of Kuwait, Seik Jaber al-Ahmed al-Sabah, he said.

Kuwait air space was sealed.

In Baghdad, Saddam's ruling council announced the Kuwaiti government had been toppled.

Kuwait radio went off the air briefly, but came back on different wavelengths with martial music and Kuwaiti patriotic songs.

In Washington, the United States condemned the Iraqi invasion and called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to deal with the dispute.

White House spokesman Roman Popadiuk said the United States deplored "this blatant use of military aggression" and called for "the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Iraqi forces."

President Bush was informed of the military action at 9 p.m. by national security adviser Brent Scowcroft.

Saddam's council issued a statement from Baghdad saying an interim government had been established in Kuwait but the claim could not be immediately and independently confirmed.

The Kuwaiti embassy in Washington reported only that there were many casualties in the fighting, apparently sparked by a protracted dispute over a border oil field, but gave no numbers early Thursday.

"Iraq has responded to the request from interim government of free Kuwait and decided to cooperate with it," the Iraqi statement said. It said the troops--no numbers were given--were in Kuwait to defend the revolution and the Kuwaiti people. There was no further identification of the revolutionary government.